The AA has announced that it will purchase the British School of Motoring (BSM) driving school after the company slipped into financial problems. The deal will involve the full transferral of all driving instructors at the school, plus the brand itself which will continue to see use.
BSM began digging itself into a financial hole when it purchased German firm Arque Industries for £10 million in 2009. From there BSM's debts have begun to spiral out of control, resulting in many driving instructors not getting paid their first wage packet of the year.
Established in 1920 as a franchise business, BSM is the largest driving school in Britain with about 2,100 self-employed instructors. It teaches about 130,000 learners at almost 100 centres. The AA has less than 2,000 driving teachers.